You have to focus. You become one with your tool. You listen to it’s backward and forward movement. You tune in to the moment in front of you...breath in...breath out...focus....

...and then your thoughts wonder.

A quick snap of the saw blade brings you back to the moment. You might shout an expletive or two... you pause and review your journey thus far and change the blade. You are almost there. Don’t give up now.

I recently revisited these photos taken by Minneapolis photographer Connie Singer. She captured a moment of my work as it sits in a vintage jewelry box.

I forgot about them. I forgot about the Vine cut earring design. It has manifested in various forms in my work over the years. I tend do this with my jewelry designs. Forget. I create jewelry in a small series and then I move on to something else. I forgot that my customers loved these earrings! They sell out really fast.

A women I met during the Mill City Farmers Market bought a pair similar to these. She was a collector of artist made jewelry and my ideal customer. She was drawn to a pair of the cut out earrings. She thought asked if they were lazar cut and was interested in my process. They were not lazar cut but pierced by hand.

The Meditation

When I work I imagine the woman who may one day be wearing these earrings. She won’t know that I had to change the saw blade twice! She puts them in her ears with confidence. Knowing that they will complete her look for the day. What she doesn’t know is that the energy spent making them in turn connects her to them.

I like to imagine that my simple thirty to forty minute sawing meditations as I work transfer to the wearer. I focus on sending positive energy out into the world through my work. I create jewelry that connects to my customer in a personal way.